Law with Criminology LLB

Do you want to practice criminal law or work in the criminal justice system? Criminology gives context to legal study, providing you with a critical understanding of law making and breaking.

Our Centre for Employability, Professional Legal Education and Research (CEPLER) gives Birmingham students the edge. With our opportunities to build practical skills, confidence and employability, you'll stand out in a competitive jobs market.

With a 100-year history and storied reputation, the Birmingham Law School honours our tradition of legal excellence with global top rankings year after year.

• Make an impact and join one of 30 Pro Bono projects offered at Birmingham Law School, such as our work with Amicus to secure equal access to justice for those facing the death penalty in the USA.
• Birmingham Law School students and alumni receive a 20% discount off BARBRI's SQE1 Prep and Extended US Bar Prep (EBAR) courses.
• Connect to the sector with placement schemes, law fairs, and visits to leading firms. All University of Birmingham law students are members of the Birmingham Law Society, the largest and most diverse Law society outside of London.
• Pursue your passions and tailor your undergraduate Law degree to suit your interests in your final year with our vast range of optional modules including topics such as Counter Terrorism Law, Advocacy and Employment Law in Practice.
• Think globally and study overseas at one of our 200+ partner institutions. Experience an incredible new culture and alternative perspectives on Law.

• Lectures: These give you an insightful, expert introduction to key topics; they also provide guidance to support your reading and assessments.
• Seminars: These are small group discussions where you share and test ideas with your academic tutor and your peers. Seminars help you understand topics better and build confidence in sharing your thoughts.

Support during your studies

At Birmingham, you’ll have plenty of support to help you adjust to university life:

• Personal Academic Tutors: You'll have a tutor assigned to you who will guide and support you throughout your studies.
• Wellbeing Officers: The Wellbeing team help with extensions, disabilities, extenuating circumstances, or any personal challenges. They’ll also connect you with further support on campus or elsewhere.
• Academic Writing Advisory Service: Tutorials, workshops and support in  structuring an argument and developing your own academic voice.
• Student Experience Team: They offer research opportunities, and cultural, intellectual and social activities to enhance your university experience.

Contact hours

Your degree is designed to help you achieve 120 credits per year, which equals about 40 hours of learning each week. This includes lectures, seminars, workshops, independent study, revision, and assessments.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed in different ways to suit each module. At the start of a module, you’ll be told how and when you’ll be assessed. Methods will vary but may include coursework (e.g., essays), group or individual presentations and projects, exams, reports or computer-based assignments.

Feedback: You will receive timely feedback on each assessment, so you can learn from it and improve your performance in future assessments.

The optional module information listed for this programme is intended to be indicative, and the availability of optional modules may vary from year to year. Where a module is no longer available, we will let you know as soon as we can and help you to make other choices.

You can apply to study abroad for a year in an approved university around the world. If you achieve a grade of 2.1 or above in your first year, you will be eligible to apply for a Year Abroad in your second year. If your application is successful, you will go abroad in your third year and return to us for your final year.

To secure a place at Birmingham, you'll need to meet our general entry requirements as well as those specific to your course.

Number of A levels required: 3

We do not require or consider the LNAT admissions test for entry onto our programmes.

We do not accept transfers into the School from any programme including other Law programmes.

A Levels

AAA or equivalent. General Studies is not accepted, but a good performance may be taken into account if you fail to meet the conditions of the offer.

BTEC qualifications

• BTEC Extended Diploma in the following subject areas will be considered: Business and Law. Grades required - D*D*D*. Other BTEC Extended Diplomas may be considered if offered alongside an A level.
• BTEC Subsidiary Diploma in Business or Law combined with two A levels and BTEC Diploma in Business or Law combined with an A level will be considered.
• Other BTEC subjects combined with A levels are considered on a case by case basis provided there is an appropriate subject combination.

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

Applicants who take the EPQ and meet our offer criteria will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower plus a grade A in the EPQ. This offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice.

Core Maths qualification

Applicants who take the Core Maths qualification and meet our offer criteria will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower plus a grade A in Core Maths. If you are also taking A-level Maths, you will not be eligible for an alternative offer through studying Core Maths. This offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice.

English language requirements

If you are an international student, you will need to demonstrate you have a suitable level of English proficiency, usually through the form of an IELTS or equivalent qualification or a Presessional English course.

• TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing.
• IELTS: 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any band.
• Pearson Test of English (PTE): PTE 67 with no less than 64 in all four skills.
• Cambridge English(exams taken from 2015): Cambridge English: Advanced Minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component
• Language Cert ESOL SELT (UKVI): B2 ‘Communicator’ with no less than 33 in each skill
• Trinity ISE II: Not applicable
• Trinity ISE III: Pass in each Skill

Presessional English courses

If you have a conditional offer for Birmingham where English is a requirement, you can take a Presessional English course as an alternative to retaking IELTS or a similar qualification. We offer on-campus courses all year round starting from September, including additional online courses in the summer term. Teaching takes place in small classes with no more than 18 students to maximise class participation.

*The University will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year. If Parliament agrees on an increase in tuition fees, the University will increase fees for each year of study, normally in line with these changes and will communicate any change in the fees to you without delay. The fee for September 2026 entry is £9,790 for UK students. If you are applying for 2027 entry, you will be advised of the annual tuition fee once it is confirmed by the Government.

Undergraduate loans

To help with the cost of studies, undergraduate students from the UK can apply for student finance through the Student Loans Company. The support available is made up of a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan which helps to cover living costs.

Scholarships, grants and bursaries

At Birmingham, we believe that financial worries should not be a barrier to accessing higher education. That’s why we offer a range of additional financial support for students through scholarships, bursaries and other awards.

View further information on how to apply for undergraduate courses, including advice for UK and overseas applicants.

CEPLER has strong connections with law firms, regulators, charities, and businesses, giving you opportunities to gain practical experience. These links also support important research, helping Birmingham Law School academics tackle real-world legal challenges.

Careers

• Our careers lectures and skills workshops offers advice and guidance on a range of specialist areas of law and legally-related careers. We also run practical skills sessions on how to present yourself and succeed at interview. 
• Keep career connected with the annual University of Birmingham Law Fair! This is exclusively for our students and recent graduates. You can meet firms, chambers, and key sector employers promoting training contracts, pupillages, vacation schemes and graduate work opportunities.

Pro Bono

• Our Pro Bono Group enables students to volunteer in a range of activities that benefit some of the most vulnerable people in the local community. You could get involved in one of 30 Pro Bono projects, from legal advice to streetlaw, policy research to our Fraud Clinic.

Mooting and advocacy

• All students can gain practical experience in a range of different types of advocacy and rhetorical skills, such as mooting, negotiation, client interviewing and debating
• Many of our students compete in events including the UK Sports Law Negotiation Competition, Helga Pederson Moot Court Competition on international Human Rights law in Strasbourg, and the Oxford International Intellectual Property Moot.

Education

• We offer two innovative practice-based modules: Regulation of the Legal Profession, which encourages you to question assumptions about lawyers and their role in society; and Advocacy, which covers a range of skills such as mooting, negotiation and mediation, along with court observations and presentation skills development.

Professional accreditation

Barristers

Our LLB Law degrees cover all the legal areas needed to meet the academic requirements for becoming a Barrister. After completing your degree, you’ll need to take the Bar Course, a one-year postgraduate course. Then, you’ll complete a one-year Pupillage, which is like an apprenticeship in a Barrister’s chambers. Birmingham Law School has a specialist advisor to help students who want to become Barristers.

Solicitors

In September 2021, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) introduced a new qualification system called the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). To qualify as a Solicitor under the new SQE pathway, you must:

• Complete or hold a degree-level qualification or equivalent (such as an LLB from Birmingham Law School); 
• After the degree, complete both stages of assessment, SQE1 and SQE2;
• Complete two years of qualifying work experience (QWE); and
• Satisfy the SRA’s character and suitability requirements

Birmingham Law School partners with a top SQE training provider to offer graduates discounted preparation fees. A dedicated staff member provides support and advice for students who want to qualify as Solicitors.

Career destinations

Our Law students have gone on to secure roles such as Solicitor, Director, Founder, and Senior Legal Counsel working for organisations such as:

• Goldman Sachs
• Shakespeare Martineau
• Ministry of Justice
• Ministry of Defence
• Pinsent Masons

The University has commissioned Cturtle as our data partner for tracking our alumni destinations. The data above is a subset from 43,666 alumni who completed their course up to 31 July 2024.

Careers Network

Our aim is to make sure that success in your studies leads you on to a fulfilling career. Whatever you plan to do after your degree, the Careers Network offer support to help you identify your options, develop your skills and gain access to opportunities that propel you towards your career goal.

Our bustling campus with its beautiful grounds, friendly community, and excellent facilities will quickly make you feel at home. We offer you a huge variety of accommodation options in the UK’s second city, exciting activities to get involved in outside your studies, as well as all the support and advice you need.

Flexible programmes to suit you

Not sure what you want to study?

Explore your options for combining subjects and shape your degree around your interests, whilst developing key skills for the world of work.